Take some time out, put on the headphones, drop the needle on the record, or queue up the latest releases on your phone.
Here’s four recently released albums that we’ve been playing at OUTinPerth HQ including new discs from Sam Smith, Cornelius, Prince, and ZAINAB.
Sam Smith
Hazel Eyes
★ ★ ★ ★
Sam Smith has delivered their fifth solo album, and if you’ve loved the laid-back and romantic singles they’ve been releasing over the last 18 months, you’ll adore this touching collection of songs. After the bodacious and camp Gloria, which arrived in 2023, Smith returns to the more somber and emotional style that defined their earlier albums.
Opening with plucked guitar, moody vocals and muted trumpet, Everlasting Love immediately establishes the album’s romantic atmosphere. That mood continues with Hazel Eyes. Things take a bluesy turn on Moondance, a collaboration with Feist.
My Guy is another understated and heartfelt track that reminds us Smith possesses one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in contemporary music. Their same-sex ode to love is both intimate and affecting.
Thief features slowly strummed electric guitars that recall Chris Isaak’s most sultry recordings, as Smith sings to an absent lover in another time zone. It’s meditative and moving.
Love Is a Stillness, with its crisp piano and heartfelt vocal, feels destined to become a standard for chanteuses and lounge singers across the globe. Tinged with gospel elements, whistles and a simple message, it’s destined to be a classic.
Sugar Rush is the moment where Smith’s camp personality shines through. They play coy while singing to friends about a cute boy they’ve spotted. Echoing classic pop songs of the 1960s, it’s playful and flirtatious.
With Oh Mother, we move into full-blown gospel territory, complete with clapping hands and church-inspired energy. Constant Companion returns to the album’s strummed guitars and blues-inflected sounds, while Hold On showcases Smith’s vocal prowess as it builds toward another soaring choir-backed chorus. Smith closes the album on a gentler note with To Be Free, offering a heartfelt wish for us all.
Cornelius
Refractions
★ ★ ★
Japanese musician Cornelius has delivered his eighth album, and it is a delight. It begins with a simple piano track, but things become musically interesting as soon as we reach track two, Mazaranai, an entirely addictive mix of vocals, bleeping noises, and funky bass.
The Monochrome Set guest on the bizarre You Make Me Cyborg, a song that feels as though it has too many lyrics crammed into it as it rushes along at breakneck speed.
Things return to a gentler blend of electronica, guitars, and cheesy synths on Aeons, which features vocals from Sean Ono Lennon. Mirrors is another upbeat number, complete with cowbells, funky guitars, and Japanese-language lyrics. Things then become even funkier on Bad Advice, which also features some excellent retro samples woven into the track.
Yumenemi has a haunting chorus that sounds like Gregorian monks singing in the background of an otherwise folky tune. Unexpected synth stabs then emerge, keeping listeners on their toes.
As we move into Twisting and Glistening, the 1980s-inspired sound returns to the forefront. Cornelius’s vocals are not always the strongest element of the song, and at times they distract from its overall atmosphere.
Things wrap up with Dissolving Line. This album will not be for everyone, but it is undeniably interesting.
Prince
Timeless
★ ★ ★ ★
During his lifetime, Prince maintained a prolific output. At a time when record companies typically wanted artists to release an album every two to three years, Prince seemed to have a new project waiting in the wings every few months. There is probably enough unreleased Prince music in the vaults of Paisley Park to provide a steady stream of new releases for decades to come.
This is the fourth album of previously unheard Prince material to be released since his passing in 2016, and it comprises tracks from throughout his career, beginning in the late 1970s. What is immediately clear is that what Prince left on the shelf is better than what many other artists release as their best work.
Presented in chronological order, the album begins with the funky and upbeat I Am You. Prince performed the song in concert during the late 1970s and later reused elements of it in a track for The Time. It is a hot jam with a great guitar line and enthusiastic vocals.
The next three tracks come from the 1980s. Tick Tick Bang is a fast-paced rock number that was recorded in 1981. Prince eventually re-recorded the song years later for his Graffiti Bridge soundtrack. Heaven has a clear 1980s vibe, reflecting its 1985 recording date. Originally, it was considered for a musical Prince was planning. I Wonder has a country tinge while staying firmly in the pop-funk lane, and the song features a great chorus.
The stunning piano ballad With This Tear was released ahead of the album and was eventually passed on to Celine Dion, who recorded her own version in 1992. Stone was later released by The Family Stand co-writer Sandra St. Victor on one of her solo albums as Nothing Left 2 Give, but it’s great to hear Prince’s original recording. The song is very much in the style of the music Prince was releasing in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Following the turn of the millennium, Prince reportedly abandoned plans for an album he had been working on. Calabama was intended to be the title track. It features shout-outs to his band, The New Power Generation, and is filled with a bold brass section. The Guilty One is a raucous rock number that was recorded in 2007, while Bestest Friend, recorded in 2012, is a melodramatic tune that sounds like it belongs in a rock musical.
The album ends with one song Prince fans will already be familiar with: a live recording of How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore, captured during his final Piano and a Microphone tour, which saw the artist performing solo in large arenas, including an unforgettable show at Perth’s RAC Arena.
Let’s hope there is much more Prince music to be heard in the future.
ZAINAB
Canal View
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Born in Pakistan but raised in New York City, ZAINAB’s new EP will take listeners straight to the middle of the dance floor with its muffled and chopped-up vocals, euphoric sounds and fast-paced beats.
It opens with Jadoo, a house track with world music influences that features layers of sounds competing for attention. The party continues with Her Eyes, a fresh, summery and tropical offering.
Most of the EP’s six tracks clock in at around three minutes, but Ayewah!, featuring Tony Quattro, stretches beyond five minutes. The track slowly builds, blending traditional instruments with glossy electronic production.
Bangalhore, a collaboration with Surya Sen, features lyrics about receiving love from both the East and the West, symbolising the fusion of musical styles. Dehli Gate delivers another glistening, high-energy blend of cultures, while closing track Azadi ends the EP on a pulsating, rhythmic note.
ZAINAB is definitely an artist worth following.
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